The present invention relates to a bus of the hardtop type having at least ten seats and comprising a chassis and a body with an at least substantially U-shaped roof construction, which covers at least some of the seats of the bus, which roof construction can be removed, and be replaced again, over at least some of the at least ten seats. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the term “remove” as used herein is understood to mean removing the cover from its original, seat-covering position. Furthermore preferably, the bus has at least thirteen seats, so that the bus will be suitable for group transport or for touristic purposes.
Such a bus is known as a cabrio bus. The known cabrio bus has a substantially U-shaped roof construction, which is detachably attached to the bus body. Upon conversion of the known cabrio bus from a closed bus to an open bus, the roof construction is detached and the roof construction, or at least the removable part thereof, is removed from the body and temporarily stored outside the bus. The cabrio bus can now be used with an open roof. When the roof of the cabrio bus is to be closed, the bus is driven to the location where the removable part of the roof construction is temporarily stored. At that location, the roof construction is placed on the body again and attached thereto.
A drawback of the known cabrio bus is the fact that the conversion from a closed roof state to and open roof state, and vice versa, is a relatively laborious job. In addition, the removable part of the roof construction is separated from the bus, so that the roof construction is not available for being placed back in the case of a sudden change of the weather.
Accordingly it is the object of the present invention to provide a bus as described in the introduction which is easier to convert between a closed roof state and an open roof state and/or which remains with the bus also in the open position of the roof.
This object is achieved by the present invention in that the substantially U-shaped roof construction comprises at least two substantially shape retaining, nestable roof elements of at least substantially U-shaped cross-section, which are movable relative to each other and which are positioned at least substantially one behind another, at least in the covering position, with the legs of the U-shaped cross-section extending downwards the windows present in the roof construction. Usually, such windows will be provided in the downwardly extending side panels that correspond to the legs of the U-shape. The shape of the roof elements distinguishes the cabrio bus according to the present invention from, inter alia, buses of the sliding roof type, in which only a part of the roof located above windows present in the bus can be moved. A sliding roof reduces the structural strength of a bus significantly less than does an open roof, or at least a roof that can be opened. Moreover, a movable roof comprising side panels that extend relatively far downwards makes higher demands on the seal between moving parts than does a sliding roof.
The characteristic aspects of the present invention make it possible to store the nestable roof elements in a nested position in or on the bus in the non-covering position, as a result of which one or more roof elements can be removed from their original position by being moved from an original, covering position to a nested position. This is realised without the storage thereof objectionably taking up any space, or at least hardly any space, for any passengers in the bus. Thus, the roof elements that have been removed from their covering position can be carried along by the bus at all times, also in their removed position. The object of the present invention is thus achieved, at least partially so. The term “non-covering position” of a roof element is understood to mean the position of the roof element in which the roof element does not cover the original part of the bus. Nested roof elements may jointly cover another part of the bus, however.
Passenger cars of the hardtop convertible type in which the roof elements can be stored in a compact manner in relation to each other in the open position of the roof do exist, to be true, but insofar as the relative position of the roof elements in that state may be regarded as nested, there is this important difference that vehicles comprising fewer seats, as a rule no more than two rows of seats, are concerned in that case. The removable part of the roof construction is relatively small. Because of the relatively small size of such a passenger car, its movable roof construction does not have to meet high requirements.
A known convertible of the passenger car type comprises a hinged frame provided with a flexible fabric, wherein the fabric, which functions as a roof, can be folded open by swinging hinging elements of the hinged frame rearwards, seen in the driving direction of the car. The fabric folds onto itself, so that it will take up relatively little space in the open position of the roof. This is not a hardtop convertible type, however. A drawback of such a roof is the fact that the construction is not shape-retaining and that weather influences are relatively easily noticeable by the occupants also in the closed position of the roof construction. In addition, the windows of the removable part of the roof construction are less suitable for looking out therethrough in the closed position of the bus. They are made of a flexible plastic material.